Why ‘Signing in’?

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Signing in

Signing in was much more than a routine –it is an important cognitive and social
activity within the framework of the overall curriculum.

Why should preschool Children Be Encouraged to Write their Names? Children

as young as one seem to be spontaneously attracted to markers, pencils, crayons
and paper. Preschoolers enjoy opportunities to explore with these materials and see
the results of their movements on paper. By age 3, children can begin to
differentiate between pictures and print when they are exposed to print in the
environment and in books . At this point, the marks children make that are meant to
resemble letters will begin to look consistently different from their drawings. Early
explorations of writing may eventually appear as "gross approximations" of
conventional letters. These mock letters will assume increasingly letter-like
characteristics as children experiment with writing, and observe environmental
print. Children acquire knowledge, including literacy concepts, at widely varied ages,
of course. It may take as long as two or three years for some children to perfect
the technique of writing their name . Patience is the key, for children become
writers by writing. Consequently, the more opportunities children have to practice
writing throughout the day, the more skilled they will become; in addition, they will
better understand the variety of ways writing is used in society. Children's
competence in name writing depends on fine motor control, an awareness of letter
features (lines and shapes), and an understanding that letters are separate units.
Novice writers must also understand that letters have names and certain
formations, although knowledge of all the letter names and forms is by no means a
prerequisite to writing. Many children begin writing their names when they know
only a few letter forms. Children also must be able to pay attention to letter
features in order to distinguish among letters, and to recognize and write their
names. In the interim, children use mock letters that share some features common
to letters, yet lack the characteristics of conventional alphabet letters. By inviting
the children to practice signing their names each day, we give them opportunities to
develop motor control. Adult-created name cards allowed the children to see their
names written conventionally.

How Can the Sign-in Process Be Organized and Facilitated? (one idea) Place
sign-in sheets on the writing table just inside the entrance to the classroom. The
table can have paper and markers; additional writing instruments and supplementary
materials, such as envelopes, stickers.. At the beginning of the year, provide paper,
on which all the children can sign their names. By November, put out larger paper to
accommodate the increased number of children who wished to write their names
and experiment with print. Make name cards available at the writing table for
children to consult as references if they chose to do so. For the last term of
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school, each child can be given an individual sheet of paper with his or her name
written on it. Generally, most children will eventually accept the invitation to sign
in. Some children will sign their names every day, while others will write their names
only a few times during the year. Some children will just watch and politely refuse
to sign in until a couple of weeks before school ends, then write every letter in
their names in order. By doing this signing in activity you are assisting the children
in their writing development by creating a situation for meaningful writing, in
addition to offering developmentally appropriate direct instruction. Your role is to
observe the children writing their names and comment on what they do: "You wrote
a 'C' and an 'O' today," Praise important milestones. Only if a child is struggling to
form a letter and asks for help should you provide a physical prompt by holding his
hand and describing the motions as you make them together. Tell the children that
they can write their names any way they chose. Some will use controlled scribbles
all year, while others will write their complete names. Being present at the writing
table gave will give you a daily opportunity to observe and assess the children's
progress. Save the sign-in sheets to use for assessment of writing development.

How Do Children Develop their Ability To Write their Names? At the beginning
of the year, most of the younger children will make a scribble mark or line to
represent their names. Their early attempts at name writing contain no letters. As
they became more aware of print in their homes and classrooms, however, they will
begin to write mock letters. Young children typically learn to form and write the
letters of their names before they develop a sense of directionality and it is
unlikely that a three year old will write his name linearly with the correct letter
sequence. When children begin to write real letters they often represent their
names with only the first letter. As they develop awareness of their whole names
they may gradually add other letters. Noticing names and other written words helps
children develop an awareness of sequence.

What Are the Benefits?By encouraging the children to make writing their first
activity of the day, children learn that writing was a valued part of the classroom.
If you offer a selection of various colours and sizes of paper, envelopes, stamps,
scissors and other writing and art materials on the writing table, children may often
chose to remain at the writing table after they had sign in so they can ‘write’
stories, notes to friends or descriptions of science objects they had brought from
home. By starting the day with writing, the children can be inspired to continue
writing or to visit the writing table later. Use the sign-in sheets as part of your
ongoing assessment - date and save the sheets, making notes on the back to help
you remember who wrote which scribbles and mock letters, and commenting on
special events like, "This was the first day that Rhett wrote all the letters in his
name." You can refer back to the sheets later or share children's progress with
parents. While each child's approach to name writing is unique, most take the time
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to do their best at representing their names. In general, they will demonstrate a

high level of concentration, and take care as they form letters or mock letters.

Conclusion Names, an important aspect of identity, are the first words most
children write. Signing one's own name is useful in many daily transactions in school
and in daily life. As an early literacy experience, the process of learning to write
one's name can be highly motivating to preschoolers. Experience, rather than age
alone, is the operational factor in literacy learning Through the experience of
signing in on a daily basis, children develop the fine motor control and awareness of
letters and words that would be prerequisites to other forms of writing.

We know that children feel more secure when they have routines to follow each
day. Why not let signing in be one of those routines?
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